Where R2’s mulch comes from
R2’s mulch is made from the tree work we do around Lake County: brush and limbs from trimming, whole trees from removals, and fuel cut during defensible space clearing, all run through our tracked chipper. Then there are the scraps from our sawmill: slab edges, offcuts and sawdust.
From the start, the old R2 site described the company as a source of wood mulch and compost products. That has not changed. Robert put it this way: “All the scraps that are left over from milling get turned into soil or wood mulch that go back onto the trees into the forest.”
Why we do not burn it
R2 began after the 2015 Valley Fire. In 2022, about seven years after the fire, Robert was asked to assist in operating a CalFire pilot program that burned beetle-kill pine logs in an air curtain incinerator, six logs at a time, two hours a load. “There’s other better ways of handling with resources,” he says. Watching all that wood go up in smoke is what got him working on better uses for it, and it led him to speak at a biomass conference in Atlanta about what to do with all that material.
Mulch is one of the simplest answers. Wood that would have been a burn pile becomes a layer that feeds the soil instead. It is how R2 closes the loop: “We’re like completely full circle,” Robert says. “Nothing goes to waste.”
What wood mulch does for your yard
- Holds water in the soil. A layer of mulch shades the ground and slows evaporation, which matters in a long, dry Lake County summer.
- Keeps weeds down. Mulch blocks light from reaching weed seeds in the soil.
- Protects the soil. It cuts down on erosion and crusting on slopes, and keeps the ground cooler in summer.
- Feeds the soil over time. As wood chips break down, they add organic matter back into the ground.
- Finishes a job. On paths, under trees and in beds, it gives a cleared lot a finished look. Jayson C. had R2 “put mulch up my walkway.”
A note on fire safety: keep wood mulch out of the first 5 feet around your house. That zone should stay clear of anything that burns easily. Farther out, under trees and along paths, mulch works well. See defensible space for more.
Mulch versus compost and soil
Wood mulch is chipped wood laid on top of the ground. It is coarse, lasts a long time and protects the soil underneath.
Compost and soil come from wood and plant material that has broken down over time. It is worked into the ground, or used in beds and gardens, to add organic matter.
Both come out of the same work and the same idea: what was taken from the land goes back to it. What we have on hand changes with the season and the jobs we have been doing, so ask what is available when you call.
Logs into soil: the pool project
One of R2’s first calls came from someone with a big swimming pool that was no longer in use and needed to be filled in. Instead of hauling in fill, R2 suggested a hugelkultur project: logs laid into the ground and left to break down slowly over time. The pool was filled with logs, topped with chips and compost, and planted with clover. The wood that would have been waste is now turning into soil.
Keeping chips from your own job
The easiest way to get R2 mulch is to keep it. When we trim or take down trees on your property, the chips can be left right where you want them: under your trees, on a path, along a fence line. Tell us when we price the job, and we plan for it. Karl B. had “many downed trees to be chipped and recycled” during his clearing job. Colleen A. kept “plenty of firewood” from her 14 dead trees, and the surplus was hauled away.
If you do not want the chips, we take them away and they go into our mulch and soil.
What moves the price of mulch and compost?
- How much you need. A few beds or a whole hillside.
- What kind. Coarse wood chips, finer mulch, or compost and soil.
- Getting it to you. Whether you pick it up, or ask about delivery and where you are in the county.
- Spreading. Dumped in a pile, or spread by the crew.
- Your own job. Chips left from work on your property are part of that job’s plan.
Stock changes with the season, so call or text and ask what is available and what it would take.
How to use wood mulch around trees
A few simple habits make mulch work well:
- Spread it wide, not tall. Spread it a few inches deep out under the branches, where most of a tree’s feeding roots are.
- Keep it off the trunk. Pull the mulch back a little from the base of the tree. Mulch piled up against the bark keeps it wet and can cause rot.
- Top it up. Mulch breaks down over time, which is the point. Add more as it thins out.
- Keep it away from the house. Leave the first 5 feet around the house clear of mulch for fire safety.
Used this way, the chips from a tree that came down end up feeding the trees that are still standing. That is the full circle.
